34 Baby Harvest
by ARtheBard
Summary: JJ and the team travel to Macon, GA to investigate a series of abductions and murders involving pregnant women. All the while, her heart is in Virginia, as Emily is just a week away from giving birth. JJ must ignore the personal and remain professional when she becomes the only thing standing between victim number 6 living or dying.
1. Chapter 1

As JJ settles into her seat she opens the folder and begins to review the case. As Morgan moves past her to stow his bag he pats her on the shoulder. She smiles up at him. These men, these wonderful friends, will not let her fall.

Once they are in the air, Hotch moves to the middle of the plane. It's a short flight so there is no time to waste in starting to profile this unsub.

"Okay, first impressions."

"These women were very well taken care of," JJ notes. "Evidence of prenatal vitamins, no signs of abuse other than the bruising around one ankle."

"Probably to secure them wherever they were kept," Reid notes.

"They were even cleaned up after giving birth," Rossi points out. "Add in the way they were dumped there is care and concern shown the bodies that makes no sense considering they were kidnapped and killed."

JJ frowns at something she sees on one of the autopsy briefs. She checks the other four and sees it there, too.

"These women were all given Pitocin," she states.

"What does that mean?" Morgan asks.

She looks up at the men. "It can be used to help induce labor as a last resort. It's a synthetic hormone introduced through an IV to help stop complications with birth. Doctors use it when they think there could be delivery issues, among other reasons."

"Maybe issues such as stress caused by being kidnapped?" Rossi says sarcastically.

JJ nods. "Would cause issues for me, I know."

"So the unsub has access to that medicine, either legally or illegally."

JJ hits the webinar button on the laptop on the table and Garcia's face pops up immediately.

"Still nothing back on my searches. Is there anything else this goddess can help you mere mortals with?"

Hotch grins. "Of course there is. We need you to see if there are instances of Pitocin being stolen since just before the first woman disappeared."

"Got it."

"Hey, Garcia," JJ interjects before Garcia signs off, "can you check the full autopsies to see if any of these women nursed before they died?"

Garcia nods. "I can do that. Why would I be doing that?"

JJ looks up at the others. "Pitocin can also be used to artificially stimulate the breasts for breastfeeding if natural methods don't work. If any of these women actually nursed we can get an idea how long they were allowed to live after giving birth."

"Won't the autopsy tell us that?" Reid points out.

"You haven't finished reading, Reid. The bodies had been frozen before being dumped. It throws off TOD and healing indicators," Hotch points out.

Reid's eyes widen. He had been concentrating on the geographic points so he had not finished reading the autopsy briefs.

Garcia sighs. "As soon as I have anything I'll hit you back. Please catch this sick puppy soon."

Morgan nods. "That's the plan, Baby Girl."

Hotch looks at the team. "When we land, Reid get to the station to start the geographic profile. Rossi, Morgan, check out the dump sites. JJ, I want you with me at the medical examiner. You may know questions to ask that I don't."

JJ nods. "Okay."

Once Hotch moves to his seat, JJ gets up and moves to the back of the plane. She hits Emily's speed dial prompt.

"Hey, honey, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Emily asks.

"Uh, we're…on a case," JJ says nervously.

There is a moment of silence. "Oh. Where?"

"We're flying to Macon, Georgia. Five women in that area have disappeared and then been murdered."

"Jennifer, what are you trying _not_ to tell me?" Emily presses.

JJ sighs. "They were kidnapped during their 36th week of pregnancy and found dead sometime after giving birth. The children are still unaccounted for."

There is another pause. "Is Garcia trying to give you a stroke?"

JJ laughs, her heart lighter hearing Emily joke about the case. "Yeah, I kinda wondered that myself. But, um, you see why the team had to go, right?"

"Of course, Jen. And I know all the reasons you, specifically, had to go. It will probably drive your dreams wonky again."

"I know."

"I don't care what time, call me, Jennifer."

"I will. I promise."

"Good. And I'll let Will know, too, in case you need Henry."

JJ smiles. "Thanks, sweetheart. Give him a hug and kiss for me. Tell Declan I'm sorry about missing his game."

"I will, baby. Be safe. I love you."

"I love you, too. Talk to you later."

"Bye, sweetheart."

JJ hangs up and moves to the galley to get a cup of coffee. Rossi walks up to make one for himself.

"All okay at home?"

JJ smiles happily. "Yeah, it is. She gets it. Might pop Garcia upside the head tonight but she gets why I am on this plane."

Rossi smiles. "Good. And if you need anything, well, you know where I'll be."

She pats his arm. "Thanks, Rossi. That means a lot to me."

JJ takes her coffee and moves back to her seat. She starts to make notes on things she wants to ask the medical examiner to help get a profile of the bodies.


	2. Chapter 2

Morgan and Rossi get out of their SUV at the site where the first body was found. They glance at each other and back at the building in the distance.

"Adds more credence to the remorse angle if this pans out for all of the bodies," Rossi notes.

Morgan nods his head. He takes another look at the church then starts to scan the immediate area as if he were the unsub.

"Why here? Why would I want to leave her here?"

"The church," Rossi states. He looks around. "Somewhat secluded so less chance of being seen."

"True. But also less chance the body will be found. That doesn't fit the remorse angle. Do we know how police were alerted to the bodies?"

Rossi shakes his head. "Garcia can get that for us. Think he called it in?"

Morgan shrugs. "Maybe."

Rossi sees something and frowns. "Or maybe not. Look over here."

Morgan follows him and sees the start of an off-road bike path. It is well worn.

"He knew someone would be by within hours. Probably placed the body here at night hoping someone in the morning would find it," Morgan guesses.

Rossi nods. "We need to see the other dump sites." He glances at the church. "That could be a coincidence or it could be an insight into the unsubs mind."

"A killer afraid of God's wrath. That's always fun to deal with," Morgan mumbles as they get back in the SUV.

Rossi studies the man beside him. There is so much tension radiating off of him the older agent is surprised the windows aren't rattling.

"You know, JJ took some time off. You sure you don't need any?"

Morgan's hands tighten on the wheel. "I'm fine, Rossi."

"Morgan, there's nothing wrong with admitting this case is getting to you. Hell, Emily is your best friend. If it's hurting me it's got to be tearing you apart."

Morgan sighs and pulls over to the side of the road. He clasps his hands together on top of the steering wheel. Rossi gives him a moment.

"Does this case hit close to home? Yes." Morgan states. "But does that mean I can't do the job? No," he insists.

"I didn't say you couldn't do the job, Morgan. What I'm saying is-"

"Yes, alright, YES! I looked at those pictures and every woman made me think of Emily, is that what you need to hear?" he says angrily.

Rossi stares at him then shakes his head. "No, Morgan, that's not what I need to hear. That's not even where I was going with this. All I wanted to say was if you need to vent I'm here for you."

Morgan drops his head to his chest. "Shit. Rossi…I'm sorry."

"No problem, kid. I'd say that was proof you need to vent a bit." He grins. "I like being right."

Morgan laughs and shakes his head. "You're a mess, old man."

"Drive on, kid. We have a case to solve."

Still chuckling, Morgan pulls back onto the road so they can check out the other dump sites.

JJ stares at the woman on the autopsy table. Other than the bruise around her ankle and the mark where the IV had been it would look like she had simply died in her sleep.

JJ looks up at the ME. "So the others never breastfed?"

The doctor shakes his head. "Even with the freezing, I would say that they most likely died soon after giving birth. Considering the sedative in their system, they may not have even been conscious for the birth."

JJ shakes her head. "That wouldn't make sense. The drugs could hurt the babies. They wouldn't have risked that."

Hotch nods. "True."

The ME looks at the two agents. "Uh, if this sick shit is killing women why the hell would he worry about the baby?"

"The crime is about the baby. If he didn't want it or need it for some reason there would not have been so much care taken to keep her safe and alive until the child was born. The vitamins, their overall health would be worse," JJ explains.

"So…so this guy has the babies?"

"Probably," Hotch states, though he and JJ both know that there is probably more to it than just an unsub that wants a family.

"No drugs but the Pitocin and Dilaudid found in them?" JJ confirms.

"That was all," he confirms.

With the other 4 victims already buried this was their only chance to study a body. Hopefully it would be the last chance they had. JJ looks up at Hotch who nods.

"Thank you for your time, Doctor. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions," Hotch says.

Hotch and JJ make their way out to the SUV. They sit there for a moment both thinking about what they had seen and what they hadn't seen.

"No torture, no rape, no undo pain during birth," JJ recites. "He needs the children. The women are just a by product of his need but there is respect there. He doesn't want to kill them but he has to."

Hotch nods. "There seems to be an angle that-" He stops as his phone rings. "Yes, Garcia?"

JJ watches as he stiffens.

"Send the address. JJ and I will go speak with the family."

JJ's heart sinks. Another lady is missing. After Hotch hangs up he just looks at JJ, seeing she knows what's going on. Without a word he drives them to the home of the missing woman to find out what they could to hopefully save her life.

Reid has mapped out the abduction and dump sites. Rossi and Morgan had called with their idea about churches being key to the dump site and Reid's map has born that clue out.

The only thing it doesn't tell him is where to look next. He had even made note on his map about the woman's physical characteristics to see if there was some pattern to be found there. So far there was nothing but the church link.

He steps back and stares at the pictures of the women on the murder board he had put together. Again, there is no commonality of features. Different eye colour, different hair colour, different heights, different weights. So many differences. Suddenly his eyes widen.

"Not differences," he mutters. "Preferences."

He calls the goddess. "Garcia, I need you to email the pictures of the fathers of the babies."

"Uh, okay. Why?"

"Just a hunch."

"Okay. And I was getting ready to call you anyway. Another lady was abducted in Knoxville, GA, about 35 minutes away from Macon."

"Already? There was at least a month between previous abductions!"

"I know. It may not be related but it could be. As soon as I have her info and her husband's I'll get it sent to you."

"Thanks, Garcia."

"Find this guy, Reid, before she dies."

"That's definitely the plan," he says as he disconnects the call.

He studies the map and the murder board. "Why now? Why so soon?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I just want to give credit where I haven't in the past. Yep, I extensively use GoogleMaps to plot the where abouts of my stories. Trust me, I am not a geography savant. Without that site my stories would be pretty dang dull or immensely incorrect. As it is, I am sure there are a few inconsistencies but hopefully not as many as there could be. :o)**

**Reposted this chapter to correct something I felt needed to be right. I'm an OCD stinker that way. Thanks to Whiro for giving me the heads up. I do strive to be accurate in my stories so I appreciate the info. :o)**

* * *

"Mr. Freise? My name is Aaron Hotchner, this is Jennifer Jareau of the FBI. May we speak to you about your wife?"

The shell-shocked man just stares at the two people on his doorstep. It takes him a second to register what Hotch has said.

"FBI?"

"Yes, sir. The Macon police and other local law enforcement agencies have asked us to come in and consult on a series of cases similar to your wife's."

The man opens the door and gestures for the agents to come in. They enter the nicely furnished double-wide trailer. It is clean and tidy. JJ studies the family pictures on the wall. In addition to the child on the way, the Freise's had two other children, both girls.

"Mr. Freise, would it be okay if I looked around? It will help us get an idea of who your wife is," she explains to him.

He just nods as he and Hotch make their way to the couch. JJ goes down the hallway to the right. There are three bedrooms. One has bunk beds in it, confirming her suspicion the girls were twins. The second bedroom is set up as a nursery. The blue paint and sports themed toys told her they were expecting a little boy. Her heart breaks for the family. She pokes her head into the room across the hall and sees it is set up as a guest bedroom. The entire end of the house is a large activity room obviously set up as the children's main play area inside.

She turns and goes back down the hallway, through the living room and into the master bedroom suite. There are more touches in here showing this was a family that love each other. Posed portraits as well as framed candid pictures are scattered around the room on dressers and on the wall. JJ sees a datebook on one side of the bed and picks it up. It belongs to Belinda Freise.

"Let's see what you've been up to, Belinda," JJ murmurs as she opens it up.

She was supposed to go to the doctor that morning but had never made it. Their call to Peyton Freise had worried him. And she can see why.

"Blood pressure notes," JJ whispers. "I know how that goes."

She is about to put the datebook down when she suddenly frowns. Belinda Freise had been carefully noting her blood pressure 3 times a day. Why didn't she have this calendar with her for the doctor to look over?

JJ goes back to the living room and Hotch sees she has a question for Peyton Freise.

"Mr. Freise, was your wife under doctor's orders to check her blood pressure three times a day?"

He nods. "Yes, she kept it in a datebook by the bed. How did you know?"

JJ holds up the datebook. "Is this her only copy?"

The man stiffens and nods. "Yes. But she should have had that with her today."

JJ shrugs and gives him a comforting smile. "She may have just forgotten it. I don't know how many times I did towards the end of my pregnancy. Do you mind if I hold on to this?"

He shakes his head. She steps out of his line of sight to place it in an evidence bag. She slowly scans the room again, a theory forming in her mind.

In the living room, Hotch had gotten through the preliminary background. Testament to how long they had worked together, Hotch had guessed what JJ was thinking.

"Peyton, if someone came to your front door, would your wife open it for them?"

He nods. "Well, sure. I mean, it's a small, friendly town. Lots of times we forget to lock it during the day even though we always lock up at night. Why?"

Hotch just shakes his head. "Just standard questions."

After a few more, Hotch and JJ leave, promising to keep in touch with Peyton as the investigation progresses. In the car, Hotch looks at JJ.

"Witnesses saw her drive away," he points out, immediately addressing the idea he is sure JJ is contemplating.

"True. Or maybe they just assumed she did. These women are disappearing from small, friendly towns. Trust me, Hotch, they wouldn't think twice about opening up their door to another woman." She sighs. "Of course, she could have just forgotten the datebook. I know not to get hung up on the theory that she opened the door to her attacker but it's just a line to consider."

Hotch nods. "True. And I agree with it. We need to re-interview the witnesses that saw her driving; make sure it really was Belinda Freise."

JJ calls the local precinct to get the names of the witnesses that had placed Belinda Freise in her van driving to the doctor's office. As she talks, Hotch drives the route the woman would have taken to get to the doctors office. When JJ hangs up he looks at her.

"Where are their cars?"

JJ sits up. "Good question. The Macon PD should have a list of impounded cars. We can check to make sure none of our victim's cars fell through the cracks. I'll also call a contact at Atlanta PD and see if any have been impounded in that city. Unsub may be hoping they get lost in the shuffle that far away."

Hotch nods. "Okay. Get with the state police, too. Knoxville is unincorporated so they have jurisdiction. They may have her car or one of the other missing vehicles." He takes a breath. "There's another possibility. There's a big wildlife refuge north of Macon. Not to mention a lot of open land and several lakes. The missing vehicles could be so well hidden they may never reappear."

JJ nods. "True. And with all those areas to dump cars, why dump bodies where they are found so easily?"

"Remorse. Rossi called it. The women dying are just a regrettable side effect of the unsubs goals."

"The babies."

Hotch nods. "Most likely. I'm going to call Katie Cole to see if she knows of any baby selling rings in this area. When we get to the station follow up on the vehicle search. You may need to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, too, just to cover all bases."

JJ nods. "Will do. Hotch…how many weeks was Belinda Freise?"

"She was at 38 weeks. Doctor thought she could go early."

"I was afraid of that."

Hotch nods. Both had noticed, as Reid had, that Freise was taken too soon. Something was wrong and her clock may run out sooner than they can find her.

* * *

Reid holds up the pictures of Peyton and Belinda Freise beside the pictures of victim #5 and her husband. Their eye colour, hair colour and skin complexion are all identical.

"That's planned. That means they don't just hunt the women. They hunt the couple until they find at least 2 couples that meet the criteria. That way if something happens to one baby there will be another similar one to take." He frowns. "So what happened to baby #5?"

"Reid? You okay?" Morgan asks as he and Rossi walk in.

The young genius is a visible ball of tension. He shakes his head and shows them the pictures. He explains what his theory is and both men wince.

"Damn it, that makes sick sense," Morgan states.

Rossi nods. "But what happened to the baby? Why did they need another so soon?"

Morgan shrugs. "He wanted twins?"

Rossi shakes his head. "I don't see that."

Reid studies the people. "What if he's selling them? He needs them to fit certain parameters or the sale doesn't go through?"

"Black market designer babies?" Morgan shakes his head. "I've heard sicker things."

"So does this mean baby #5 is dead?" Rossi asks.

"I sure as hell hope not," Morgan states. "If the baby was born with a problem they may have given it up."

"Why not just kill it?" Reid asks with disgust aimed at the unsub.

"It goes back to the remorse angle," Morgan says. "I think they would give the kid up to get it help instead of killing it."

"Unless they think it's a mercy killing," Rossi notes.

"Questions, questions, questions…when the hell do we start finding answers?" Morgan says as he drops into a chair.

* * *

It is just after 5 when JJ and Hotch make it back to the precinct. JJ is on the phone with the state police trying to get an answer about the missing vehicles. So far they are stonewalling her. Finally she hangs up in frustration.

"Fuck them. I'll call Garcia and have it by morning, Hotch," she states with aggravation.

He nods. "Go on." He looks at the others as she calls Garcia. "What do you all have?"

"Plenty of theories and questions. No answers," Reid tells him.

He tells Hotch what the three agents had come up with regarding the reasons for the kidnappings and the missing children. Hotch looks at the similarities between couples 5 and 6 and nods his head.

"I see what you mean. But how do they pull this off? Most people want to meet the expectant mother."

Morgan shrugs. "All you need is a woman willing to pretend to be pregnant for a price."

"That and some padding to look pregnant. She can even act like she will only meet them once to make it easier to give up her kid. After one meeting, they could do everything with pictures and emails until the birth," Reid points out.

"And you would also need a lawyer willing to deal with the paperwork. It's a team," Hotch concludes.

The others agree. JJ walks over to them. "Garcia will check local and state records as well as any reports of abandoned vehicles in the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge."

"Good. Morgan, you and JJ will take a trip up there tomorrow. Search it looking for anyplace the cars could be left without being found. Oh, and Jareau?"

"Yeah?"

"No jumping off cliffs in the refuge like your wife," he says with a grin.

"Damn, Hotch, you take away all my fun," JJ says with a pout and a wink.

"There's nothing more we can do tonight. Let's get to the hotel, get some dinner, and a good night's sleep. We have less than two weeks to find Belinda Freise."

The team nods and closes down shop for the night. On the way to the hotel, Hotch looks at JJ.

"Doing okay?"

"Scarily, yeah, I am." She looks at her boss. "Thanks for asking, Hotch."

He smiles. "No problem. Just glad to have you back, JJ."

"Glad to be back." She frowns. "Is it screwed up that I'm happy to be here instead of being home with Emily?"

"Not at all. You and Emily get the job; you live the job. And I'm sure it's in your head that working this particular case is reinforcement that you do this to protect your loved ones."

JJ nods. "Yeah, it is. Instead of terrifying me it actually reminded me that I'd want someone like our team, our whole team, out looking for Rocky or Henry or anyone I love. Would I rather be with Emily? Of course. But I know I need to be here, too. And thank God she gets that, also."

He smiles sadly. "Yes, it does make it better when your spouse understands."

JJ blushes. "Oh, Hotch…I…I didn't mean…oh, I am such a shit."

He shakes his head. "Not at all. Hailey and I…I will always love her and I know she loved part of me. But she could never love the job or who I was on the job. I envy you finding love with Emily. Who knows…maybe some day I'll find love again with someone that gets me."

JJ smiles. "I'm sure you will."

They make the rest of the drive in silence, each thinking about the strange turns their love lives had taken.


	4. Chapter 4

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Emily sighs. "Henry, bath time. Go with Aunt Penny."

"NO!" he says and stomps his foot.

Emily runs a hand over her face. Things were not going well tonight. Henry had actually been acting up all day, culminating with this tantrum about bath time.

"What is your problem today, Champ?"

Garcia looks at Emily. "Uh, early onset Terrible Two's?"

Emily sighs. "Maybe." She holds her arms out to him. "Come here, Henry."

The little boy shakes his head and drops down on his butt. Emily pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to will her headache to go away.

"Want me to call Jayje?" Garcia asks.

Emily shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe. No. Let her call us. She needs to eat and if he acts like this it will just stress her out." She stares down at her son, who has his face buried in Alaska's scruff. "Henry, do you want a bath?"

He grunts. Emily takes that as a no.

"How about a story?"

Another grunt.

"A song?"

Grunt.

"Movie?"

Henry moans and rolls down to the ground, his face still pressed against his puppy. Emily just shakes her head. She will not offer him a cookie. No more rewarding for bad behavior. But there is only one thing that she thinks might help and she reluctantly offers it.

"Henry, do you want to talk to Mommy?"

Henry sits up and nods. Emily rolls her eyes and grabs her phone.

"Come here, Champ."

Henry jumps up and runs over to the bed. Emily hits JJ's number and crosses her fingers she has a moment to talk.

"Hey, Em, was just getting ready to call you."

"Good timing then. Henry's having a tantrum and wants to speak with you."

"Ah, okay."

Emily holds the phone out. "Here's Mommy, Champ."

"Hi Mommy!" Henry says happily.

Garcia and Emily exchange a look. Where was this kid a few minutes ago?"

"Hey, Little Man. Did you have fun with Mama and Fran today?"

"Si."

Emily grins at that answer as Garcia rolls her eyes.

"Good. I hear you are a little upset."

"Si. Mama bad."

Emily frowns and looks at Garcia in confusion.

"She is? Why is Mama bad?" JJ asks, amused as she pictures Emily's face in her mind.

"Pool bye bye."

Emily bites her lip to keep from laughing. Now it all made sense. Garcia is still puzzled.

"The pool went bye bye today?" JJ confirms.

"Si. Bye bye."

"Well, honey, it's the time of the year the pool has to go bye bye so it can rest and be ready for you next Spring."

"NO! Pool! Now!" Henry demands.

"I'm sorry, Henry, but the pool had to go bye bye. Maybe when I get home we can play in the Jacuzzi, okay?"

Henry gives a big, heartfelt sigh. "Kay. Love Mommy."

"I love you, too. Do you love Mama?"

Henry's shoulders slump and he mutters. "Love Mama."

Emily can't help but chuckle. "Gee, thanks, Champ."

"Can I speak to Mama again, Henry?"

"Si. Love Mommy. Night Mommy."

"Love you, too, Little Man. Goodnight, Henry."

Henry hands Emily the phone and goes over to lie all over his puppy again. Emily crosses her fingers.

"Henry, can you go with Aunt Penny now for your bath?"

Henry sighs again. "Si."

He gets up and stomps out of the room towards the bathroom. Garcia just smiles and follows him.

"Hey, Jen."

"Hi. Does it make me a bitch that it feels so good that I could fix him when you couldn't?" she asks, amused.

Emily chuckles. "Not a bitch. Cruel and petty, but not a bitch."

JJ laughs. "Ah, okay."

"So, how goes it? I hear there's a sixth victim now."

"Yeah. We think it's someone selling the babies; custom-ordered babies."

"Oh, God, that's awful!"

"Yeah. And we think #6 is because something was wrong with baby #5. Truthfully, we still have more questions than answers, including where the hell are the missing vehicles."

"Any leads?"

"Not one. Morgan and I are going up to a huge refuge tomorrow to look around and see if we can find where the cars are. Truth is, there is so much open land down here they could be anywhere. And, in all honesty, even if we find them they may not give us any new leads to follow. Until some of Garcia's searches finish we may be stalled."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

JJ smiles. "Yes. You can rest, keep your blood pressure down, put your feet up, and keep Rocky inside until we get back home."

Emily laughs. "I meant anything easy."

JJ laughs. "Don't make me have Garcia cuff you to the bed."

Emily shivers. "Damn it, Jen…do you know what that image did to my libido?"

JJ raises an eyebrow. "You're turned on by the thought of Garcia cuffing you to the bed?"

Emily rolls her eyes, giggling. "No. You cuffing me to the bed. Damn, Jen, going to have to take matters into my own hands later."

There is pause as JJ thinks about that image. "Shit…happy about getting revenge, baby?"

Emily smiles proudly. "Yes…yes, I am."

JJ glances at her watch. "Well, I need to meet the team for dinner. Want me to call back later?"

"You know I love talking to you. But if you need to get to bed early I understand. You and Morgan may be doing a lot of hiking tomorrow."

"True. Well, then I will go ahead and say goodnight now. I love you, sweetheart. Tell Pen thanks for me and give Rocky a pat."

"I will. I love you, baby. And if you need me, call."

"I will. Promise. Talk to you tomorrow, baby."

"Goodnight, Jen."

Emily hangs up and sighs. She rubs her stomach. "It's because of you I don't even miss being on a case. Thank you, Rocky, for reminding me what's important in life. I don't want to become my mother and make the job more important than you or your brother. I want to know you all your life, not just when you're grown up and starting your own family."

Soon Garcia comes in with a clean and pajama clad Henry. Aunt Penny pops in a DVD of Blues Clues…that Emily had seen at least 15 times that week…and enjoys it with her Godson. (She just ignores the glares from Emily.) By the end Henry is ready for bed. He snuggles up to Emily who starts to sing his lullaby.

Garcia sits in the recliner watching them, her heart about bursting with love for them. When Henry is finally asleep she walks over.

"Want me to carry him to bed?"

Emily smiles. "Nah, he's fine here for now."

"What times does Will get here tomorrow?"

"He figures around 11 if the weather cooperates."

"Coolness. What are your plans for the weekend?"

Emily sighs. "I really haven't thought about it. I guess just lay around here eating bon bons and hoping Rocky doesn't put in an appearance before Jen gets home."

"You're not going to be begging me for something to work on, are you?"

Emily shakes her head. "Nope. No stress allowed right now. Rocky is more important than my job."

"Awww! So sweet!"

Emily nods. She raises an eyebrow at her friend. "You know…I was tempted to pop you upside the head when Jen told me what the case was."

Garcia sighs and flops onto the end of the bed. "Ugh! I know! I swear, Emster, it was all I could do to make myself march into Hotch's office with that file. My head knew we had to help. My heart was telling me to protect JJ."

Emily nods. "I believe you. And knowing another woman went missing today you did the right thing. Never doubt that. I'm sure Hotch gave her a chance to stay behind."

"Yeah, he did. But we all knew she wouldn't." Garcia smiles proudly. "She's JJ!"

Emily chuckles. "Yes, yes she is."

* * *

Will smiles at Emily. "Emily, you look ready to burst."

Emily nods. "I feel like it, too."

He gives her a hug and kiss. "You also look beautiful. One more week?"

"Yep. I can't wait. I've forgotten what my feet look like."

Will laughs and looks down. "They are still petite and pretty."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "They were never petite. Pretty maybe but not petite."

"DADDY!"

Emily turns as Henry comes running out of the playroom. Will drops to a knee. "Hey, Little Man! How you doing today?"

Henry hugs and kisses his father. "Love Daddy!"

"I love you, too. Ready to go to the fair?" Henry smiles and nods. Will stands, holding his son. "We're going down to Richmond to the State Fair. But if you need us call, okay?"

Emily nods. "I will. Promise." She looks at Henry. "Do I get a hug and kiss goodbye?"

Henry throws himself at Emily. He gives her a big hug and kiss. "Love Mama."

"Love you, too, Champ. Eat a candy apple for me."

Henry nods, not sure what it is but he does know candy. Will gives Emily a hug and picks up Henry's bag. Emily watches from the doorway until they are gone. She closes the door and leans against it.

Yep…some days the house was just too big.


	5. Chapter 5

JJ closes the door and leans against the SUV. They had been in the refuge since 8 that morning and were finally at the last stop on the map. She looks at Morgan as he walks up to her.

"Tell me again why we're out here and not the others?"

He chuckles. "Because we're in better shape than them."

JJ thinks a second. "Nope, not good enough. They owe us."

He nods. "I second that. And I just want to point out…I don't remember you owing me and Emily anything after we walked all over Denali."

JJ grins. "Trust me…I rewarded her."

Morgan busts out laughing as JJ pushes off the SUV and starts up the trail to the fire tower. So far there had been no sign of the missing vehicles in the refuge. They were still waiting to hear if someone would let them into the Hitchiti Experimental Forest. They had been told it was closed to outsiders. They had pointed out that bad guys don't care about those sorts of rules.

When they make it to the top of the fire tower they each use their binoculars to look out in various directions. After they had each looked out in all 4 directions, Morgan leans against a railing.

"Nothing. A wasted morning."

JJ nods. "Yep. At least it was a pretty drive."

Morgan chuckles. "Yeah, it was." He pulls out his cell phone. "I'm going to try the superintendant again. I don't want to have to come back here some other day to explore Hitchiti."

JJ nods in agreement. She lifts her binoculars up and starts to scan again. Sure it is still pointless, she stops as her phone rings.

"Yeah, Garcia?"

"I found the baby!"

JJ straightens up. "WHAT? What baby?"

"Baby #5! She was turned in to a hospital in Tallahassee under the safe haven laws. Her mother said she had health issues and she couldn't care for her. She said the father wasn't in the equation. Well, her DNA was put into the system just in case the father, who the mother refused to name, wanted to find her." Garcia finally takes a breath before continuing. "Anyway, as soon as the match hit the system it sent me a notice."

"Have you called the hospital?"

"Yes. The baby has a heart condition that caused her to turn blue. The have already performed surgery to repair it. I've let them know who she really is and they are holding her in a secure room while the legalities are worked out to get her back to her family. I'll have access to their security tapes in about an hour and can hopefully track down the woman that dropped her off."

"Garcia, you are magic personified! Have you called Hotch?"

"I tried but it went to voicemail so I called you next."

"Okay, I'll get with Hotch. Keep working things on your end."

"Right. Talk to you soon!"

Garcia hangs up and JJ immediately calls Hotch. She also gets his voicemail.

"Hotch, call me as soon as you can. Garcia found baby #5."

She hangs up and calls Rossi, who answers immediately.

"Rossi! Where's Hotch?"

"Media finally put all the deaths together. He's talking to them now."

"Damn. Look, I left him a voicemail. Baby #5 is alive and recovering from heart surgery in Tallahassee."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! Garcia is waiting to get access to their security tapes to see the woman that used the safe haven laws to drop her off."

"I'll be damned. This gets crazier and crazier. The baby was worthless to them but they still saved her instead of killing her."

"Children mean something to them where the mother's don't," JJ agrees. "They can't justify killing an innocent?"

Rossi shrugs. "Maybe. Look, I'll get with Hotch. I have a feeling one of us is heading to Florida soon."

"Yeah, uh, put in a good word that it not be me? I, uh, don't want to get too much farther away from home, you know?"

Rossi smiles. "I get it, kid. I'll tell him."

"Thanks, Rossi."

JJ hangs up and turns to see Morgan staring at her. "They found her?"

JJ nods. "Alive and mostly okay."

He lets out a breath of relief. "That's one bit of good news. The superintendant says he'll send one of his guys out to check Hitchiti…on Monday."

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Does he understand a woman's life is in danger?"

Morgan shrugs. "He doesn't care. He doubts they could get in there. And he's probably right but I still wish we could check to make sure."

JJ sighs. "Me, too. Well, let's head back to the station. Hotch is dealing with the media who finally tied the five deaths and the missing woman together."

"Great, a media maelstrom. Just what we need."

"Exactly."

The two make their way back to the SUV. As they get in, JJ brings up an aerial map of the area. As Morgan drives she manipulates the map a bit.

"Hey, Morgan, while we're up this way, why don't we pop over to the Rum Creek Wildlife Management area. May as well get it out of the way, too."

Morgan nods. JJ programs the information into the GPS and they drive that way. As they circle the area Morgan suddenly stops. He points to an area of marsh land that looks like it was recently disturbed. The agents get out and make their way toward the waterline.

"Tire tracks going in," JJ points at the mud.

Morgan nods and pulls out his cell phone to call the authorities. JJ steps closer…and sinks in mud up to mid calf.

"Son of a bitch," she mutters.

Yanking her leg back out, she tries to pick a place to step that will give her a look in the water. Just when she thinks there is no hope, a man breaks the surface of the water.

"HELP! MY KIDS! HELP!"

JJ doesn't even think. She leaps over the brush, diving into the water. She dives into the murky darkness until she feels the car in front of her. She has almost zero visibility but she feels her way down the car to the door handle. It's locked. She pulls out her gun and uses the butt to bust the passenger's side window. She feels around, finding someone strapped into the seat.

Reaching into the window, she manages to undo the seatbelt and pull the unmoving body out of the window. As she surfaces, she sees the man in the shallows, a woman standing over him. She drags the young girl in her arms to them and hands her off.

"How many in the car?"

"One more. My son. In back."

JJ swims back out and dives down again. When she gets to the car she sees Morgan already working on getting the boy out. She helps him and they quickly surface with the boy. They get him to the shallows where hands take him. JJ is glad to see an ambulance pulling up. As she starts out, Morgan grabs her arm.

"Jayje…there was another car down there."

She looks at the man, who still lies in the shallows. "Why did you run off the road?"

"Deer ran in front of us. I panicked because I was yelling at my son and a little distracted and-"

"So no other car was involved?" Morgan pushes.

The man just shakes his head. JJ and Morgan exchange a look and swim back out far enough to make a dive down to the driver's side of the man's car. They find the other car Morgan had seen. They get to the back bumper and wipe the sediment off the license plate. They exchange a look and surface.

"Pretty sure that was the second woman's car," Morgan says.

JJ nods. "Me, too. We need divers."

Morgan nods and they swim back to shore. They get out and are immediately met by State Police. After they identify themselves as agents they request divers and state search and rescue boats to come in and check the whole lake for the other missing vehicles. While JJ organizes that, Morgan calls Hotch.

"Hotch, we found where the cars were dumped." He quickly explains the stroke of luck that led them to one of the vehicles.

"Good job. Are you both okay?"

"Yeah but we're a mess. And JJ's phone was on her hip."

Hotch chuckles. "Of course it was. We haven't had to replace a phone in at least a month."

Morgan grins. "Right. Requisitions will be thinking we don't love them."

As Morgan hangs up, JJ walks over. "State police will handle checking the lake for the missing cars. We need to figure out why here other than it's pretty secluded."

"That may be the reason. Hell, it was an accident that we found that car."

"Let's finish looking. Maybe we'll be able to point the police to a new place to check."

"Okay. And then we head to the hotel. You need a bath, Jareau."

JJ laughs. "You're not exactly smelling like wildflowers yourself, Morgan."

They finish their circuit of the lake, noting two more places the locals would want to definitely investigate. As they drive towards their hotel, JJ starts to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Morgan laughs.

"Hotch told me no jumping off cliffs like Emily. He never said not to jump into a lake."

Morgan laughs. "I'll tell him to be more specific next time." Morgan reaches over and pats her leg. "By the way, nice job getting that little girl out."

JJ nods. "Thanks. Good job getting the boy."

"Feels good when we save a life, even if it's not the one we're trying to save, you know?"

JJ nods. "Yeah, I know." She glances at him. "I sort of flashed back for a second to that school."

He knows she's talking about the one bombed in Afghanistan. He nods. "Me, too. We saved a lot of lives that day, JJ. And we did again today. Unfortunately we can't save them all."

"I know. But maybe we'll be able to pinpoint something on the geographic profile that will save Belinda Freise."

"I sure as hell hope so."


	6. Chapter 6

With Rossi on his way to Tallahassee to interview witnesses to the baby drop off, Reid and Hotch start to weed through a list of lawyers who specialize or in any way handle adoptions. It is a long tedious search involving crosschecking IRS records with registered adoptions.

Just after 2 p.m. Reid sits forward. He starts to search through another pile of reports. Hotch watches him a moment.

"You have something?"

"Maybe. I just need…this." He starts to scan the paperwork he has unburied. He compares it side by side with another report. Finally he places both papers in front of Hotch. "Does something strike you as strange here?"

Hotch stares at the two reports then nods. "Yes. He lists 22 adoptions in the last two years then suddenly none. Then he has 4 in a row right around the time our women went missing."

Reid grabs a third report. "And the expense reports he filed on behalf of his client, the mother, are all exactly the same each time. What are the odds that all 4 women had the exact same doctors visits, prescriptions, etc?"

"Slim to none," Hotch agrees. He pulls out his phone. "Garcia, I need everything you can find on attorney Alastair Watt. I want financials, known associates, everything you can find, do you understand?"

Garcia smiles. "Loud and clear, sir. If it's out there I'll bring it to you."

She disconnects and gets to work. She loves it when Hotch basically tells her to hack to her little hearts content.

* * *

When JJ gets out of the shower and dressed she still has about 10 minutes before she has to meet Morgan. She uses that time to check in with her wife.

"Hey, Jen, how you doing?" Emily asks as she answers.

"I'm good. Might still smell like a swamp but I'm good."

"A swamp? Dare I ask?" Emily laughs.

JJ tells her what happened. By the end, Emily is shaking her head.

"You know, maybe our team should stay out of national parks and refuges."

JJ chuckles. "That might be a directive we'll see soon. Did Henry get off okay this morning?"

"Yep. Will's taking him to the state fair. Henry promised to eat a candy apple for me."

JJ laughs. "How noble of him. Was he okay last night?"

"Yes, he was fine. We watched Blues Clues…again."

JJ chuckles. "And did you figure it out this time?"

Emily grins. "Watch it, Agent Jareau."

JJ glances at her watch. "Well, I need to go. Morgan and I are going to grab a bite to eat then go help weed through reports on lawyers."

"Gee…and just as I was starting to miss being on a case you remind me of the part I hate."

JJ smiles. "Yeah, well, it has to be done. There's no way this is going down without a lawyer's hand in it. No couple is going to pay adoption fees without first checking out the lawyer."

"True. Well, good luck, baby. Hope you get it solved-shit…ow…hold…on."

JJ stiffens nervously as she hears Emily struggle to her feet and start to walk off a contraction. She hears a big whoosh of breath and a sigh of relief. Her eyes dart to the clock.

"Sorry about that, Jen. I'm back."

"Was that your first today?" she asks nervously.

"Second. But the first was while I was making Henry's breakfast so it's not labor, Jen. Promise."

"Okay. I hate being this far away from you right now. At least Rossi was the one sent to Florida."

"Florida?"

"Long story. Will have a lot of updates for you tonight. Just know that baby #5 is alive and safe."

"Thank God."

"Yeah. Well, shit, I really need to go. I love you, Em."

"I love you, too. Try to stay dry the rest of today."

She giggles. "I will. Talk to you tonight, baby."

"See you, sweetheart."

JJ disconnects and sighs. She puts her personal cell in her pocket, glad it was in the SUV when she went for a swim. She picks up her waterlogged work phone and shakes her head.

"One of these days they are going to stop replacing these for us."

She drops it in her pocket, hoping wherever they go to replace it will be able to salvage some information off of it.

* * *

Rossi stares at the baby through the observation window. The infant is in an incubator, tubes and wires making it appear even smaller and more vulnerable than normal. He crosses himself.

"Dio, protegga la sua," he whispers.*

He turns as a doctor walks up to him. "Agent Rossi?"

Rossi nods extending his hand. "Yes."

"Dr. Elizabeth Rathbone. I understand you have some questions about Baby Jane Doe #87."

"Yes, is there someplace we can talk privately?"

She nods and leads him down to storage closet. He smiles.

"Nice."

She grins and shrugs. "You want privacy around here you take it where you can find it."

He chuckles. "I understand that. What do you know about how she was left here?"

"The intake nurses would know the most. I just know what was on her chart when I first saw her and what I had to do to save her."

"Was she injured?"

"No. It was a hole in her heart. If she'd had proper prenatal care the doctor would have known and let the mother know. Unfortunately a lot of these abandoned babies don't have that luxury. At least the baby mama was smart enough to realize blue coloring was bad," she finishes with derision.

"Actually, she's not exactly abandoned. She was kidnapped. It's…sort of complicated."

"Oh my God. I swear I had no idea or I wouldn't have been so flippant, Agent Rossi."

He smiles kindly. "It's okay. Other than the heart defect, was she in good health?"

Rathbone nods. "Yes. It looks like her mother had access to prenatal vitamins. Even looks like she nursed the child at least once."

"Really? How can you tell?"

Rathbone smiles. "Stomach contents."

"Ah, right. Is there any chance any of that was saved?"

"I'm afraid not. No reason to think her appearance was anything more than it was otherwise a sample would have been taken."

"I see. Is there anything else you think we need to know as we investigate this case further?"

Rathbone shakes her head. "Not that I can think of. Can I assume her parents will be here soon."

Rossi sighs. "Her father will be. Her mother was murdered so the baby could be stolen."

Rathbone stares a him a moment then sighs. "Just when you think you've heard all the depraved shit in the world you get surprised with more."

Rossi nods. "Tell me about it." He hands his card to her. "If you think of anything that can help us, please give me a call."

Rathbone takes it and smiles. "And if I don't, can I call you anyway?"

Rossi smiles. "I, uh, am flattered but, uh, taken."

Rathbone shrugs. "Pity for me."

Rossi just nods and heads out of the closet. He sees a local police officer standing with a man at the window. Rossi sighs, recognizing the man who is looking at his daughter for the first time. Rossi will eventually need to speak with the man but that can wait. The important thing for now is that he bonds with his sick child.

The agent goes downstairs to speak with the nurse that accepted the baby. The woman looks ashamed when Rossi asks her to describe the woman that left the child.

"I hate to say this but I was so disgusted with her I didn't really look at her. She didn't seem to care that her baby was blue just that she couldn't deal with a sick baby."

"Was she young, old?"

"Not really young. That kind of hit me, too. She looked to be in her 30's. I couldn't help but think she was old enough to handle this better. She acted like she couldn't wait to get out of here." The nurse sighs. "I guess she wanted to make sure as few people saw her as possible."

Rossi nods. "Most likely. One last question, did you see how she left? Was she alone? Did she drive?"

"I saw her walk out the doors and hang a right. If someone met up with her out there I have no idea. I can't tell you how sorry I am I don't have more information on that bitch," she says venomously.

Rossi nods. "Thank you for your time. If you think of anything else, please give me a call," he says, handing her his card.

"Okay. Hey, uh, Agent Rossi, would it be too much to ask that you call me when you catch her? I just…want to make sure she's off the streets, you know?"

Rossi smiles. "I'll call you as soon as we get her."

"Thanks."

Rossi next goes to the hospital security office. The head of security had said he was personally going to pour over every security camera that could have picked up the woman's face. As Rossi enters he hears the man cuss.

"That didn't sound promising," Rossi states.

The security man turns. "Bitch kept her face hidden under that damn hoodie and her head tilted down. Best I can get you is estimated height and weight. Even the weight will be off because of her bulky clothes. I wish I could have better news for you."

Rossi claps the man on his shoulder. "Thanks for everything. If you could send it on to our analyst for our files I'd appreciate it."

He nods. "Already done." He offers Rossi his hand. "If I can help in any other way, let me know."

Rossi nods. "Thanks, I will."

Rossi heads out to his rental car. He pulls out his phone and calls Hotch.

"Good news and bad news, boss."

Hotch sighs. "Let me guess: she kept her identity hidden?"

"Yep. And the intake nurse admits she was so pissed at the chick she didn't really look at her."

"Figures. Not sure I'd blame her," Hotch admits tiredly.

"But the good news is the baby is going to be okay. She had been kept healthy and as soon as she had problems she was brought in. They even let the mother nurse the child, maybe to see if that would help whatever was wrong. These unsubs are showing a strange amount of care and remorse considering what they are doing."

Hotch nods. "I know. We've got a couple of lawyers Garcia is digging up information on. One looks very promising. Look, stay down there tonight. See if you can get an interview with the baby's father. Maybe he'll have an idea how his wife could have been taken."

"Okay. He's here now. I'll see if I can talk to him after he's had time to meet his daughter. I'll call you tonight with an update."

"Good. We'll be in touch if we have anything that could help your interview."

The two agents sign off. Rossi sits in his car wondering why the unsub brought the baby to Tallahassee. Was this where the adoptive parents were waiting for a child? Or was this just far away from the unsub's comfort zone? Too many questions but maybe they were finally creeping closer to some answers.

* * *

***God, protect her. Per Babylon Translator**


	7. Chapter 7

Emily has just taken a pot of spaghetti off the stove when Garcia arrives. The analyst drops down onto a chair at the kitchen table.

"You know all the nasty, ugly, horrible lawyer jokes?" she asks.

Emily nods. "Yeah, there are some good ones out there."

"Yeah, and I have been tripping through the lives of a bunch of the oily, eely, slimy jerks that inspired them. Did you know people will pay thousands of dollars to adopt a kid? And not just any kid but a kid that might look like them, whose parents pass a full physical and are not total scum of the earth heathens?"

Emily nods. "Yeah, I know."

Garcia studies her friend a moment. She sees the flush of colour on Emily's cheeks. "Oh…oh, Emily…did you…I mean were you…oh, shit…"

Emily shrugs and leans against a counter. "It was a thought, Garcia. If I couldn't get pregnant and something happened where Jen couldn't we knew adoption was a route. And, well, Mother may have mentioned to me knowing a lawyer who could handle everything, even finding suitable birth parents."

Garcia sinks into her chair. "But you two wouldn't have gone to these types of lawyers. These guys are marketing babies and…and…shit…I'm going to shut up now."

Emily smiles and sets the bowl of spaghetti on the table. "Pen, pour yourself a glass of wine and just forget about it. Yes, there are scummy lawyers out there but they aren't all bad. Just most of them," she says with a wink.

Garcia smiles. "Tell me the truth: would you have searched out parents that look like the two of you or would you just be happy with any baby?"

Emily smiles. "Any child we have no matter how we have them will be loved. Looks don't matter."

"Awww…I knew you wouldn't be a baby shopper."

Emily just laughs as Garcia does, in fact, pour herself a glass of wine to enjoy with her dinner. As she sits down she looks at the bowl of sauce.

"There's not, like, ground up anchovies in there or anything are there?"

"Nope, not a single one."

"Good."

Emily waits until Garcia has fixed a big plate and taken her first bite.

"I was out of anchovies so I used sardines," Emily says with a wicked grin.

Garcia pauses mid-bite and glares at the brunette. "So. Not. Funny."

Emily gives her a wink and continues to eat as Garcia digs around in the sauce until she is sure there are no sardines, anchovies or any other fish hidden inside.

They talk about a lot of nothing as they eat. When dinner is over, Emily studies her friend.

"Do you need to talk about it?"

Garcia sighs. "I shouldn't. Not with you."

Emily reaches over and takes her hand. "I may not be working the case but I can be here for you vent to so you can clear your head a little."

"Yeah, I know. It's just…this whole case has made me cringe from the start. Most likely all of us have you on our minds as we try to find Belinda Freise. And it doesn't help us that victim #4 kinda sorta resembles you. It's just hard to think of someone doing this to someone like you. I really, really hated doing this to JJ."

Emily nods. "I know you can't help but think of me but I'm okay. I know it couldn't have been easy to take this case to Hotch with Jen just back to work. She knows, too. We've all had cases that hit us personally. All we can do is shove those feelings aside and give our all for the victims."

Garcia nods. "I know. Still sucks."

Emily grins. "Big time."

The two women clean up dinner then retreat to the living room to watch a little TV. Garcia insists on a comedy and is glad to find "Something About Mary" playing. They are about an hour into the movie when JJ calls Emily. Emily moves to playroom so Garcia can enjoy the movie.

"Hi, sweetheart. Go for any more swims today?"

"Ha, ha. No, smartass, I didn't," JJ says. "Got a headache going over all the information on the lawyers we dug up. But we came up with 3 solid suspects to question tomorrow. The first one Reid found looks like our number 1 suspect."

"Good. Hopefully you can get this figured out tomorrow in time to save the latest woman."

"I sure as hell hope so." JJ sighs. "Emily…please be careful. Please?"

Emily smiles, rubbing her stomach. "I will be, Jen. I keep the alarm on and the doors locked. I swear."

"Good." JJ takes a shuddering breath. "I really miss you, baby."

"Oh, Jen," Emily says as she hears her wife's voice crack. "I miss you, too. I wish you didn't have to be…" Emily's voice cuts off as a contraction hits.

"Em? Are you there?"

Emily gets to her feet. "Yep. Here," she croaks.

"Oh, honey, contraction?"

"Yep. First one since earlier. Promise," she says as it starts to ease. "Damn…how the hell did you handle this for 15 hours?"

JJ chuckles. "Epidural."

"Ah, right."

"Did Garcia make it for dinner?"

"Yep. I made spaghetti so she just had to let me know when she was leaving. It was ready just as she got here."

"Good. She's been really upset about this case."

"I know. We talked. I think you two are going to need a little best friend time when you get back. She's feeling guilty about this being the case you returned to."

"I know. Maybe she and I can have a spa day or something."

Emily smiles. "That would be perfect. You sound tired, sweetheart."

"Exhausted. After all the hiking today and the unexpected swim I think I'm about ready for bed."

"Then go, honey. Get some sleep and then go catch the bad guy tomorrow."

JJ smiles. "I think that sounds like a good plan. I'll give you a call sometime tomorrow."

"Okay. I love you, Jennifer."

"I love you, too, Emily. Give Rocky a pat for me."

Emily smiles. "I will. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, baby."

* * *

In her hotel room, JJ sighs as she plugs her phone in to charge. She stares at the ceiling wondering how someone could be so sick as to kidnap a woman, let her have her baby, and then kill her. It couldn't just be about money, could it? She finally shakes her head and stands.

"Turn it off, Prentiss. Hit it fresh in the morning."

JJ gets ready for bed and crawls under the covers. She lifts up her phone and flips through pictures of Emily, Henry, Declan, Aidan, Abby all the people she cares about. Just staring at them helps to settle her. She puts the phone down and turns off the light.

"Tomorrow we catch the bad guys," JJ vows as she closes her eyes and wills herself to fall asleep.

* * *

At 1:30 a.m. JJ shoots up in bed, barely stifling the scream wanting to erupt from her throat. With a shaking hand, she reaches over to turn on the lamp. She tries to tell herself not to do it…but she reaches for her phone anyway. Emily picks up between the first and second rings.

"Jennifer?" she says worriedly.

"I…I had a nightmare. I…needed…needed you," JJ says emotionally.

"Oh, honey. I'm right here. What was the dream?"

"You were on the missing board and no one believed me when I said it was you. I kept telling them we had to find you and Rocky but no one believed me. God, Em, why wouldn't they believe me?" she sobs.

"Oh, Jen, they didn't believe you because dreams are our minds way of fucking with us. You know in your heart that if there as _any_ chance I was in danger not even the National Guard could stop the team from coming after me."

JJ manages a smile. "Yeah, that's true. I guess calling you was silly and-"

"Stop. Don't ever say it's silly that you needed me for something. Especially something like this," Emily says firmly.

JJ takes a deep breath. "God, I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Jen. Are you going to be okay?"

"I think so. Good thing you don't have to work tomorrow just in case I need you again."

Emily chuckles. "True. Call me back if you need to, sweetheart. It will be okay."

"I will. Promise. I love you."

"Love you, too. Night, baby."

"Night, Em."

JJ hangs up and sighs. Yes, just a few words and she's settled. A second later her phone beeps that he has a text. She lifts it up and smiles as the portrait Emily has taken of Rocky.

_"I love you, too, Mommy. Sleep real good."_

JJ smiles and texts back.

_"I will, Rocky. I love you, too."_

A feeling of calm washes over JJ. Emily and Rocky are safe. And tomorrow the team would do their damnedest to bring Belinda Freise and her baby home to her family.

* * *

"They are getting too close, Bertie," Martha Castle says to her husband.

"I know. But we have her and we just need one more payment from the parents and we're gone," Bert Castle says calmly.

Martha shakes her head. "This was wrong. We should have just told them the baby was stillborn or something and run. If they figure out what-"

"The baby is in Tallahassee! It was abandoned by the alleged mother. Nothing can connect back to us or this area. We are fine, baby."

Martha shakes her head. "I don't know, Bertie. I just have a bad feeling about this. The damn FBI agents found the cars by accident. What if they get lucky again?"

He pulls her close. "They won't. Now, take our meal ticket her dinner and vitamins. Tomorrow we can start to induce her so our clients get their baby and we get our money."

Martha sighs. Her husband seems so sure. All she can do is listen to him and hope he's right. She gets the baked chicken and steamed vegetables plate ready. She puts it on a tray with some Dasani water and the prenatal vitamins. She forces a smile to her face as she walks into the room that is Belinda Freise's prison.

"Hi! Dinner time!" she says happily.

Belinda looks up from the bed, tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. "Please…please just let me go home," she begs.

Martha shakes her head. "Not yet. Eat up and take your vitamins. We don't want anything happening to the little one, now do we?"

Belinda slowly sits up on the edge of the bed as Martha puts the tray on the rolling table and scoots it close. Belinda briefly considers disobeying but the man had made it clear that if she didn't behave the baby would be hurt. Martha smiles kindly as Belinda starts to eat.

"Good girl."

Belinda can't stop the tears. How can this woman act so happy, so calm, when she was doing this to an expectant mother? What the hell are they going to do to her and why?

"Don't cry, sugar. I promise you: your baby will be just fine."

Belinda just nods, noticing that there are no reassuring words guaranteeing that she, too, would be fine.

_"Please, God, if you can't save me, please save my son,"_ she prays as she eats and takes the vitamins provided.

When she is done, Martha smiles at her. "Well done. Get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."

Belinda is confused. "I…I do?"

"Yep. It's time for us to meet your baby."

Belinda's hand automatically goes to her stomach. "But…but I still have 2 more weeks!"

"But we don't. See you in the morning!"

Martha ignores Belinda's wail of fear as she locks the door behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay, Legion of Justice, pay attention," Garcia says over the speaker phone. "There are three lawyers who suddenly had spikes in their adoption numbers recently. Two look like they are probably legit but Alastair Watt has several red flags waving in the wind. The first being the questionable expense reports. There is no way there could be identical charges for each mother because there are too many factors that would vary woman to woman. Secondly, he had been a regular adoption lawyer until 8 months ago. At that time he was in a bad car versus tractor trailer accident. He lost. He is still recovering at Macon rehabilitation hospital and before you ask, yes the address is in your email."

Hotch looks up. "Morgan, JJ, go speak with Mr. Watt. See if he knows who could be using his practice while he is in hospital."

The agents nod and head out, knowing time is of the essence. The rest continue to listen to Garcia.

"Now, in looking at his financials, these latest adoption fees are not making their way into his accounts. In fact, I can't find any record of the money at all. My guess is the payments are being made by cash or cashiers check."

"Do we know the names of the adoptive parents?"

"Unfortunately, since this does not seem to be the real Alastair Watt, hacking his records will not be very helpful."

"What about his office?" Rossi asks.

"Looks to be up and running. His utilities are automatically being paid by his bank accounts. There was a sudden spike in their amounts 5 months ago, which would have been just before the first woman was kidnapped."

"So the unsub took over an abandoned lawyers office to run a baby scam?" Reid says incredulously.

Hotch shrugs. "Good set up for a psychopath with a desire to make a buck. Rossi, Reid pay a visit to his office."

"It's Sunday," Reid points out.

Hotch glares at him. "I know that, Reid. But there is a woman with a child out there and I have a feeling there is a couple waiting for that child."

"The Pitocin," Rossi mutters.

Reid's eyes widen as he understands that Belinda Freise could be forced into labor to meet a deadline. He and Rossi leave, hoping they can find a clue at the lawyers office as to where the unsub might be keeping the woman.

"Garcia, send me the information on the other two lawyers. I'll take a quick look at them to see if we should take a run at them, too."

"Okay."

"Now, what about paperwork filed for adoptions around the times the women were found murdered?"

"Adoption records are incredibly protected. But, yours truly, has mad skills. I have a list of 17 children adopted since the first woman was found dead. Unfortunately, none of them have Watt listed as the adoption lawyer."

Hotch frowns. "How is that possible? Have you looked beyond Georgia?"

"All up and down the East Coast and as far west as the Mississippi."

"Could be a black market adoption," he notes.

"Which means any of those 17 could be the missing 4 children or they could not even be in the system."

"Exactly." Hotch thinks a moment. "Garcia, what about international births?"

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"If someone has a child overseas they would get a birth certificate in that country—"

"And then just have to file when the get back to the States," Garcia finishes. "Brilliant, Agent Hotchner. I will get another search going and hit you back when I have an answer. Garcia out."

Hotch disconnects and pulls up the information on the two questionable lawyers. He has a bad feeling that the clock is quickly winding down for Belinda Freise.

* * *

As he drives, Morgan chances a look at JJ.

"You look like you slept okay last night," he says.

JJ smiles. "Had one nightmare, called Emily, then slept peacefully the rest of the night."

Morgan smiles and pats her on the leg. "That's great, Jayje. I have to admit, I was really worried for you because of this case."

JJ chuckles and squeezes his hand. "Confidentially? Me, too."

When they get to the rehabilitation hospital, they show their credentials at the check in desk.

"Agents Morgan and Jareau, FBI," Morgan states. "We need to see Alastair Watt."

The nurse frowns at them. "For what reason?"

"We can't say. Can you please put us in touch with him?"

The nurse sighs. "Hold on a moment." She lifts her phone and pushes a button. "Dr. Reed?" JJ and Morgan exchange a grin at the name. "There are two FBI agents here about Mr. Watt." She listens a moment. "Yes, Doctor. I'll tell them." She hangs up and points to the waiting area. "If you could have as seat Dr Reed will be with you in a moment."

The agents sit down, impatiently flipping through magazines while they wait. After 5 minutes, a middle-aged tall, skinny, balding man approaches them. The agents exchange a grin, both thinking the same thing. Could this be what their Reid looks like in 20 years or so?

"You are the agents?" he asks unnecessarily as there is no one else in the lounge.

"Yes, sir. We need to speak with Alastair Watt. It's quite urgent," Morgan tells him.

"Speak to him?" the doctor repeats in confusion.

"Yes," Morgan insists.

"I'm afraid there is some sort of misunderstanding. This isn't about the accident, is it?"

"No, sir," JJ confirms.

He starts to walk and gestures that they should follow. "Mr. Watt was in a Camry sedan." JJ's heart jumps at the second, not so funny, coincidence. "According to witness statements he was driving aggressively, switching lanes, tailgating, the works. He misjudged the distance between a truck in the right lane and the car in front of him in the left. He swerved over to the right lane and his car clipped the front of the truck, sending him into a spin. The trucker slammed on his breaks, sending his truck into a jackknife which overbalanced his load." He stops outside of a room. "The trailer fell over onto the passenger's side of Watt's car, crushing down the roof. Their momentum continued to drive them into the Jersey wall, driver's side first. How the hell he lived we'll never know.

He opens the door and leads them into the room. They see a man on a bed, tubes and wires strung from him like macabre marionette strings. JJ swallows, stiffening slightly at the tableau in front of them.

"He's in a persistent vegetative state. He has no brain activity. The only reason he is still on life support is his wife and ex-wife are in a battle over whether or not to pull the plug. He had a directive with his ex for no extraneous measures. He had no such directive with his current wife."

"Son of a bitch," Morgan mutters. "Just for the record, he has been in this state since the accident?"

Dr. Reed nods. "Yes. And here he'll stay, machines living for him, until his wives forget their petty bullshit and do right by him."

Morgan sighs and extends his hand. "Well, thank you for your time, Dr. Reed."

The doctor nods, just staring at his patient as the agents leave. As soon as they reach the SUV JJ pulls out her personal phone and sends a text.

_"We're trading in the Camry. Get info on the top 5 safest SUV's. Hell, check into tanks. I need a better vehicle for Henry and Rocky."_

As he climbs in, Morgan looks at her. "You okay?"

JJ nods. "Yeah, just, uh, well, let's just say a suggestion from Emily just turned into a decision by me."

"Ah. Okay."

As they drive away, JJ gets a text back.

_"Okay. I expect to find out why later. I love you, Jen."_

JJ takes a deep breath and calls to let Hotch know about the dead end. She winces…bad choice of words.

* * *

Watt's office is in a strip mall. When Reid and Rossi pull up into the parking lot they are surprised to see a vehicle in front of his office and the lights on inside.

"He's open," Reid says in surprise.

"Well, that's unexpected," Rossi mutters.

They park in front of a neighboring store so they don't draw attention to their vehicle. Just as they are about to get out of their SUV another car pulls in, parking in front of Watt's office. A man and woman get out of the car. Reid and Rossi exchange a look. They had the same colouring as Peyton and Belinda Freise.

"Helps solidify the designer baby aspect," Reid notes. He pulls out his phone and calls Garcia.

"Speak, oh great nerd king," she answers.

"Garcia, we need you to run a car. Alabama plates Golf Oscar Lima Delta 1."

"Gold 1? How cheesy," she says as she types. "Okay, the car is registered to Arthur and Gwendolyn Roysters of Birmingham, Alabama. Wealthy but childless. He's 44, she's 43."

"Any records that they attempted to adopt through legal channels?"

"Going to need more time to dig out more details. I'll hit you back when I have more."

"Okay. And while you're at it, run Georgia plate Quebec Tango Whiskey 5-4-5 and get us whatever you can find on that owner."

"Will dazzle you with knowledge once I obtain it."

He hangs up. He and Rossi stare at the building.

"Should we go in?" Reid asks.

"Not yet. Give Garcia a chance to find us something to give us cause to enter," Rossi says. He looks at Reid. "There is no way the unsub is keeping Freise here. Too many chances for someone to see or hear her."

"But if the adoptive couples are complicit in the crime they won't say anything."

"True." Rossi taps his fingers on the steering wheel a moment then shakes his head. "We wait. It's the safe move for now."

Five minutes later Garcia calls them back.

"Okay, first things first: the couple with the cheesy license plate have been turned down for adoption due to on-going kidney problems Mrs. Roysters has, which also prevented her from getting pregnant. Looks like they traveled overseas to both China and Russia in the past 3 years but no child returned with them. In fact, he just returned from Russia again 2 weeks ago. He also has another trip scheduled for tomorrow."

"They wanted someone that looked like them," Rossi concludes.

"Most likely. Image is everything with these two," Garcia says with disgust.

"But the travel to Russia gives them a good cover for where their baby comes from," Reid points out. "What do you want to bet they will have a Russian birth certificate to file?"

Rossi nods. "Won't take that bet."

"To continue on with my info," Garcia interrupts. "The other plate belongs to a car that was reported stolen in Atlanta 2 weeks ago. It was a 2005 Nissan Maxima."

"Well it's on a Mercedes Benz now," Rossi notes.

"Should I notify the locals?" Garcia asks.

"Not yet. We need to follow that Benz. That will lead us to Belinda Freise," Rossi states. "Garcia, you are a doll."

"Awww…you are such an honest man, Agent Rossi," she purrs as she disconnects.

Rossi calls Hotch and lets him know what they have discovered while sitting in the parking lot. They watch for another 30 minutes before the Roysters leave.

"He doesn't have his briefcase," Reid notes.

"Most likely a final cash payment for the child," Rossi says. "Call Hotch. Tell him the locals can follow the Roysters and detain them wherever they happen to be staying. We'll need to follow the Mercedes carefully." He pulls out his phone. "Morgan, we know the unsub. We're going to need to set up a tail. This guy will spot us if we're too obvious." He listens a moment. "Good idea. Just hurry."

"What's the plan?"

"Morgan and JJ are going to go get a couple of police unmarked cars so we can swap out following the unsub."

"Good. And Hotch?"

"Already on his way with another unmarked car."

"Good timing. Better let him know we're on the move," Reid says as a sandy haired man in a nice suit walks out of the building, taking the time to lock the door behind him. He carries the briefcase that the Roysters had left behind. He walks casually to the Mercedes, not noticing the agents sitting in front of the business next door.

Reid calls Hotch as Rossi follows the unsub out onto the road.

"Hotch? He's on the move."

As they drive, Rossi calls Garcia who patches all the agents in together. Reid calls out the roads they are taking as Garcia tells them the best places to set up intercepts. Finally, the SUV turns right as the unsub continues straight. A red sedan driven by Hotch turns right to get in behind the unsub.

A few miles later, Morgan takes over.

As the unsub starts out of Macon onto rural roads, JJ takes over the tail, knowing that now that they were on the road that leads to the lake where the cars were found.

"Guys, we're on Upper River Road. We're heading right for Piedmont Refuge and he could even make the turn towards Rum Creek," JJ reports.

But just before they get to Route 18, the unsub turns onto a dirt road.

"Garcia, he just turned right."

"What? Where? There's no road there!" the analyst states.

"Garcia, get a live shot, not stock images," Hotch orders.

"Yes, sir. Tapping into a live satellite feed now," she reports.

JJ goes about 20 yards beyond the turn and pulls over. She grabs her vest off the passenger seat and puts it on as she makes her way into the woods along the road, hoping to move parallel to the dirt road the unsub took. She puts in her Bluetooth to keep her hands free.

"Moving in on foot to get a look at what's at the end of the dirt road," JJ reports.

"JJ, under no circumstances are you to approach the unsub alone," Hotch states.

"Understood. You'll see my car just beyond the road. I'll let you know what I find."

JJ slowly creeps along the woods, choosing her steps carefully since she is not sure how far away the unsub will be. She finally sees a house appearing through the brush.

"There's a house about 100 yards off the road," she whispers. She gets a bit closer. "Two cars out front including the Mercedes." She angles around. "Garcia, the other vehicle is a Nissan Maxima. I can't see the plate but-"

JJ's voice breaks off as she hears the unmistakable sound of a pump action shotgun being racked.

A second later, the team hears the sound of a shotgun blast and JJ's phone goes dead.


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Garcia mutters as she tries to reconnect to JJ's phone.

"TALK TO ME, GARCIA!" Hotch yells.

"I…I can't…she's not…oh, God…her phone is dead."

"Satellite images?" Morgan asks, his foot pressing down hard on the accelerator.

"Still working on those. Takes time to find the right—GOT IT!"

Garcia goes silent as she zooms in on the last known coordinates of JJ's cell phone. "Oh, thank God!" she breathes with relief. "JJ is alive but she is being marched to the house. Guy has a shotgun to her back."

Hotch cusses and slaps the steering wheel. "We need SWAT. They have an agent and a pregnant woman. This has to end here. We need to contain the area. Garcia, keep an eye on the house. If anyone walks out, let us know. Team, pull into the yard. Rossi, use the SUV to block the driveway once we're inside. We lock the house down and start negotiating."

Hotch hangs up so he can call in support. He curses himself. He should have ordered JJ to wait at the road. They had been too sure of themselves, too sure they had followed in such a way they wouldn't be noticed. Once he has the SWAT ordered in, he calls Morgan.

"Report, Morgan."

"Unsub knows we're here. Just waiting for the next move in this crazy ass chess game."

"Good. Be there in 5. I had SWAT on standby. They will be there in 15."

* * *

Bert Castle uses his shotgun to push JJ into the house. Martha leaps up from her chair in the living room.

"Who the hell is she? FBI? What the fuck, Bertie?"

"Get her vest off and tape her hands behind her," he says, ignoring his wife's questions.

JJ sees the woman is scared. "You don't have to do this," JJ says calmly to the woman. "So far you haven't done anything wrong and-"

She stops speaking as the barrel of the gun is shoved into the base of her neck.

"Shut up, bitch. Your vest might stop a body shot but I can blow your fucking head off if you don't shut up." He pokes her in the head with the barrel to emphasize his point. He then looks at his wife. "Do what I told you, Martha. Now!"

Martha jumps, startled by his fury. She moves to JJ and quickly rips the vest off. She looks around until she finds some duct tape and secures JJ's arms behind her back.

"Good. Now her ankles."

"But how will she walk?" Martha asks innocently.

Bert stares at his wife. How indeed? He sneers. "Fine." He steps around and places the barrel of the gun to JJ's forehead. "You even think about running…Boom."

JJ swallows. "I understand."

"Sit down," he commands her.

JJ moves to the armchair and sits down. She watches as Bert starts to pace in agitation, tossing JJ's handgun to Martha. He hadn't found her clutch piece, not that she could do anything with it since her hands were taped behind her back.

JJ studies the room she is in. The furniture is old and had obviously seen better days. There are drop cloths balled up in one corner, telling her this house had probably been empty for sometime before Bert and Martha had either rented it or just taken it over.

Bert finally stops pacing and looks at his wife. "Did you start the IV?"

Martha nods. "Yes. We should be able to start the Pitocin soon. If there are no complications she should have the baby in a few hours."

"Shit…we need the baby sooner than that. Go dose her now. Up the dosage and-"

"NO!" JJ says before she can stop herself.

Bert spins and stomps towards her, leveling the gun at her face. "SHUT! UP!"

JJ takes a deep breath. "If you up the Pitocin like that it could kill her before the baby is born. Or it could kill the baby outright. Then you have no bargaining chip."

He grins cruelly. "We'll still have you."

JJ shakes her head. "I know the oath I took. They don't negotiate for me. Belinda Freise and her baby are your only tickets out of here."

He stares at her, her words sinking in. He steps closer, placing the barrel against her forehead. "Then why even keep you around?"

"Because if they hear that gun go off, they will storm in here. Look outside…by now the house is surrounded. One shot and they are in here."

Bert stares into her eyes, his gun not wavering. "Martha…check…carefully."

Martha nervously moves to the window. She eases back the curtain to see Reid, Morgan and Rossi standing behind Morgan's car with their guns trained at the house.

"Oh shit! Bert!"

Bert steps away from JJ and eases up beside his wife. "Son of a bitch," he mutters. He moves back to JJ. "What do we do?

"Give me your phone and I can get-"

"BERT!"

Bert moves back to the window. His eyes widen as he sees the 4 state police cars and 3 SWAT vans pull in behind a red sedan. He cusses again and kicks a plant stand across the room. He glares at JJ.

"Well?" he asks, wanting her to finish telling them her plan.

"Get me a phone and I can contact the lead negotiator."

He stares at her, trying to figure out if she is trying to trick him. Finally he pulls out his phone.

"What's the number?" JJ gives him Hotch's number. Bert puts the phone on speaker and sets it on the table.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch, it's JJ."

"Are you okay? We heard a shotgun blast."

"I'm fine, sir. Bert had me drop my new phone and then blasted it to bits. Requisitions is going to assign me a can and string after this case."

Despite the situation, the team smiles, glad to hear JJ able to joke.

"What's the situation, JJ?" Hotch asks.

"Belinda Freise is okay. Bert and Martha need a way out of here. Bert, do you want explain your demands?"

Bert is pacing. He hadn't thought about his demands. "I…I want everyone gone!" he yells.

"We can't do that, Bert," Hotch tells him. "You have two hostages plus a Federal Agent. For their safety we have to stay here."

"Shit…no…shit…" Bert is pacing furiously.

Martha stands in a corner, shaking in fear. She is the weak link. JJ needs to figure out a way to get Martha alone or leave her alone so Hotch can speak with her. She takes a deep breath.

"Bert, as a show of good faith, why don't you let Martha take me to Belinda so I can tell Hotch she's okay?"

"NO! No, you don't get out of my sight!"

JJ nods. "Okay. Then you take me. Hotch, you can talk to Martha while Bert shows me Belinda."

Hotch glances at Rossi, who nods, seeing what's happening. "Okay. Bert, is that okay with you?" Hotch asks, making the man feel like he is in charge to keep him calm.

Bert nods. "Yeah, okay. Fine. Get up, bitch."

Morgan growls at JJ being called bitch. Reid just clenches and unclenches his fists.

JJ stands. Bert uses the gun to push her from the room towards the stairs. She walks slowly, giving Hotch as much time as possible.

* * *

Hotch counts ten and then speaks to Martha. "Martha, are you okay?"

She nods nervously then remembers he can't see her. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Martha, we need to get Belinda and her baby out of there safely. We know you don't want to hurt the baby. But if this goes on too long the baby could be hurt by accident."

"No! No, the baby's innocent."

"I know. You saved the last baby. She was able to get surgery to correct her heart defect. She's going to be okay."

"You…you know about her?"

"Yes. Her DNA was entered into a database in case her birth father ever wanted to track her down. It alerted us as soon as a match was made to the missing children's database."

"And she's okay? She was so blue. It was so sad."

"She's going to be just fine. You saved her life. Martha, you need to save Belinda and her baby now. You need to help us get them out of there."

"I…I can't. Bertie would be mad. And besides, we already have the money for the baby. As soon as the baby is born we just have to deliver her to her new parents."

Hotch rubs a hand down his face. He looks at Rossi. The older agent thinks a minute, then smiles.

"Tell her the Freise baby has a birth defect just like the last one," he whispers.

Hotch nods. "But, Martha, the baby will need medical help immediately. She has a hole in her heart that the doctors want to repair when she is born. If they wait too long it could prove fatal."

"Oh, no! Not again! Bertie will be so upset! He'll want to kill this one! I convinced him not to kill the last one. I promised I could help the baby and protect us, too."

"I know. Work with us, Martha, and we can protect you from Bertie. Help us save that little baby, the baby's mother and Agent Jareau."

Martha paces nervously. "How?"

"Unlock the backdoor and make sure Bertie stays at the front of the house."

Martha nods. "I…I can do that." She moves back to the kitchen and flips the deadbolt on the door, making sure the officers in the backyard see her.

Hotch looks at Morgan. "Go."

Morgan nods and heads towards the backyard to meet up with officers in the back and await the order to enter the house.

"Okay, the door is open," Martha says as she reenters the living room.

"Good. Thank you, Martha."

Hotch breathes a sigh of relief. Now they wait for JJ to give them some idea of where Belinda is and when it is safe to enter.

* * *

At the top of the stairs, Bert had directed JJ to walk to the last room on the right. He opens the door and shoves her inside. Belinda Freise jumps in fear, tears staining her cheeks. JJ smiles.

"Hi. My name is Agent Jareau. How are you doing?"

"I…I'm scared. They started an IV and won't tell me why."

"You look a little dehydrated. I'm sure they did it to protect the baby."

"They said I'd give birth today. I have 2 more weeks. Are they going to make me give birth?"

JJ smiles kindly. "No. You will be fine and the baby will come when he's ready."

"Okay, you've seen her. Let's go," Bert orders.

Bert grabs JJ's elbow and drags her out of the room. He closes and locks it, pushing JJ back to the stairs. She again walks slowly, seeing Martha walking back into the living room. She can only hope the woman had done something on Hotch's orders. As they walk into the living room, JJ sees Martha hang up the phone.

Bert shoves JJ onto the couch. He turns to his wife…and she shoots him in the chest. JJ jumps as the man drops to the ground, face frozen in shock forever. Martha smiles cruelly at JJ.

"I play the meek wife so well, don't you think? Even that bitch upstairs will say I was weak and even a bit dimwitted." She bends down and picks up Bert's shotgun and aims it at JJ. "Turns out I was so upset that he killed you that I shot him to stop his madness and cruelty."

JJ shakes her head. "No…they'll have heard…they'll know the handgun went off first!" she points out.

Martha wavers a moment, frowning. Was the agent lying? Was there really enough difference in their sounds that the cops would know?

JJ stares at the woman, praying the team gets in before Martha decides that JJ is wrong about the acoustics of the shots.

* * *

Morgan carefully grabs the doorknob and turns it…but it's locked. He looks at the officer beside him.

"I thought you said she unlocked this!" he whispers.

The officer shrugs. "She did. I mean, it looked like she did. Maybe it was already unlocked and she accidentally locked it."

Morgan pulls out his phone to call Hotch when a gun shot rings out. "That was a handgun," he murmurs. He hits Hotch's number. "The back door is locked, Hotch."

"Shit! Can you see why a gun fired?"

"No. Had to be in the front of the house."

"Can you see any other way in back there?"

Morgan steps away from the house and looks at it. He straightens. "Window AC unit. If we can get it out I can get in that window."

"Do it. Carefully."

Morgan grabs two officers and goes to find a ladder to try to get to the second floor window. They find two ladders and work the unit out of the window with a crow bar.

Morgan then slips into the room, realizing it must be the one the unsubs are using. On the only dresser in the room there are several wigs lined up. He recognizes the hair colors as matching that of the women who had been killed and the one still missing.

An officer follows him into the room as Morgan creeps toward the door. Just as he eases the door open to look into the hallway, a third officer starts through the window. But he catches his foot on the sill and falls into the room with a loud thump.

Morgan and the other officer turn and glare at the man. Morgan shakes his head, wishing it wouldn't be too noisy to knock the man senseless. That would just have to wait.

* * *

In the living room, JJ knows she needs to talk her way out of dying. "Martha, I can vouch for the fact that he was angry and intimidating. End this now. Let me go and surrender. I'm sure you can get off with a minimal sentence, especially if Belinda testifies that you were kind to her."

Martha is pacing back and forth. Suddenly she grins…and JJ shivers at the malevolent gleam in the woman's eyes.

"You managed to get free. You struggled. He shot you. He paced and paced and threatened that poor woman upstairs. I wrestled the gun away from him and shot him. Too late to save you but soon enough to earn me favor."

JJ knows she has run out of time. "Martha, please, think about this. If I die you will still be on the hook as an accomplice to a Federal charge of murder. There's no leniency with that conviction!"

Martha lowers the gun briefly, thinking about that. Then she shrugs. "I'll take my chances."

She lifts the gun and cocks it, aiming for JJ's heart.


	10. Chapter 10

In the living room, Martha jumps when she hears the noise upstairs. "What the hell?"

"It could be Belinda. She may have fallen," JJ points out. "We should go check on her."

JJ can see the war waging behind Belinda's eyes. Finally she nods. "You first."

JJ stands and moves towards the stairs. As she walks out of the living room, she glances up and sees Morgan duck back around the corner. She tries to control her breathing. She takes the steps slowly, pretending it is in deference to not having a hand for the railing.

She turns towards Belinda's room, noting that the first door is now ajar where it had been closed earlier. As she passes it, she hears Morgan's voice.

"DOWN!"

JJ drops to the ground as that door is yanked the rest of the way open and Martha is tackled by Morgan and a SWAT officer while the third officer moves into position to cover JJ.

Martha tries to fight but she is no match for the two large men. Morgan drags her arms behind her back, perhaps with a little more force than necessary.

"You are under arrest for murder, kidnapping, assault and any other damn thing we can find to charge you with."

He passes her off to the officers who recite her Miranda rights and force her downstairs. Morgan moves to JJ and pulls his pocketknife.

"You okay?"

JJ nods. "Fine." She smiles. "Nice tackle. Redskins could use you."

He grins. "Nah, I'm fine right where I am."

He cuts her loose and she leads him down to Belinda's prison. He shoulders open the door, causing the woman to jump again. JJ hurries to her side.

"It's okay, Belinda. It's over. You're safe now."

The woman collapses in JJ's arms as Morgan calls for a hacksaw to get the chain off the woman's ankle.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, JJ is walking out of the house beside a gurney. Belinda is clutching her hand. As they get to the ambulance, JJ eases away.

"Your husband will meet you at the hospital."

"Will you come see me later? Please?"

JJ nods. "Of course I will. Now, relax…for your son."

Belinda manages a small chuckle. "If you tell me how to do that after all…this," she gestures towards the house.

JJ smiles. "You'll do it because a mother always protects her baby."

Belinda just nods as the EMT's load her up. JJ watches as the ambulance speeds away so the mother and her child can get a full physical. When she turns she finds Hotch standing a few feet away.

"I'm sorry, Hotch," she starts. He shakes his head.

"Don't be. Whoever had been in your place would have done what you did and I'd have okayed it for them, too. How did he get the drop on you?"

JJ shrugs. "I really don't know. I was in the trees. I had driven past the driveway. I just don't know how he knew where I was."

"Camera's," Reid answers walking up to them. "He had camera's pointing in both directions up the road. He also had them in a couple places in the eaves of the house, pointing out into the tree line."

Hotch frowns. "But he was in a car. How did he watch them?"

"He didn't. She did," JJ explains. "She probably called him when I pulled over. When she saw me put on my vest she would have told him where to hide to get me before I knew what was happening." She looks at Hotch. "She's not meek and mild-mannered, Hotch. She sounded it on the phone, she admitted to me she played it up for the captives, just in case they got away. But when she shot Bert, when she was trying to figure out how to kill me, she was as cold and calculating as anyone." JJ shakes her head. "But she really did seem to care about the children. Who the hell knows why but she valued their lives as more than just a meal ticket as evidenced by the one she took to Florida."

"Or she thought this day would come and hoped helping that one child out would end up currying favor for her," Reid suggests.

"Maybe." Hotch looks around. "Come on…we have to tell a couple they are not getting a child today."

JJ sighs. "Yeah. And we need to find out just how much they knew about where their baby was coming from."


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur Roysters flicks his eyes from Hotch to JJ and back again. "You lie," he says in disbelief. "You're working a scam with that lawyer!" he accuses.

"I'm afraid we're not, Mr. Roysters," Hotch assures him.

The man looks at his wife, who has dropped into a chair, devastation on her face. He looks back at Hotch. "Let me see those badges again," he demands.

JJ and Hotch dutifully pull out their credentials for the man to study. JJ sighs. "I promise you, sir, they are real. And, I'm sorry, but the adoption was a fraud."

Roysters' knees give out and he would have fallen if Hotch and JJ hadn't been there to catch him. They help him into a chair near his wife's. The agents exchange a look. These poor people were just pawns in the Castle's games.

After asking a few more questions, they leave. In the car JJ shakes her head.

"How the hell did they not think it was a fucking scam when he told them to go to Russia and buy a fake birth certificate? Are they really that stupid?" she blurts.

Hotch sighs. "Not stupid just desperate. They had tried every legal method possible. They believed him when he said the state could still stop the adoption because of her health issues. They wanted a child so badly they just…they threw common sense out the window."

JJ sighs, staring out the window. "Yeah…maybe I can see that. But that blind desperation killed one woman and nearly killed another."

He pats her leg. "Actually, it nearly killed 2 more."

JJ slowly turns and looks at him. She sighs and turns back to the window. "Yeah…I guess…"

* * *

When they get to the precinct they find the team and the lead detective waiting for them. Hotch frowns.

"Did she lawyer up?"

Morgan shakes his head. "Nope. Says she'll only talk to JJ."

JJ recoils. "Me? Why? She showed me the bitch behind the mask. Why they hell would she want to talk to me? It would make more sense for her to try to convince you guys she's not a sociopath."

Rossi shrugs. "Could be a chance to get you alone, try to kill you before you can blow her cover."

Reid grunts. "Not a comforting thought."

JJ spares him a grin. "Tell me about it." She looks at Hotch. "If you all swear to be in there if she makes a move I'm willing to see what she'll say."

Hotch nods. "We will be. Come with me a moment."

JJ nods and follows Hotch down to an empty office. He closes the door and takes a deep breath.

"JJ, you've never gone one on one with a sociopath before. Are you sure you can do this?"

JJ sighs. "Do we have a choice?" Hotch just raises an eyebrow. JJ starts to pace. "I get your concern. I really do. But, Hotch, I have learned a lot from you all over the years and I got a crash course in interviewing in Afghanistan. Trust me…there were plenty of sociopaths in my reports."

He grins. "I'm sure there were. She's going to try to prove you wrong. She's not going to be easy to trick into showing her true colors."

"I know. I'll do my best."

He nods. "Of course you will. And if you need help, just turn and look at the mirror."

"Will do. Thanks, Hotch."

The chief nods and they go back to the others. JJ can't help but feel a bit of excitement at the fact that she is going to be running this interrogation. She glances at Morgan who gives her an encouraging smile. Grabbing a pad and a pen she heads into the room.

Martha Castle is sitting in a chair, her eyes darting around nervously. Her hands are clenched tightly together. Her posture and even her breathing indicate scared little woman. JJ has to hand it to her: it's convincing.

_"Been running that scam a long time, haven't you, Martha,_" JJ thinks to herself.

JJ takes her time sitting down, noting the slight change in Martha's pulse. The "meek" woman is excited. Finally JJ meets her eyes.

"I understand you will only speak with me, Martha."

Martha nods. "Yes! I need you to—"

"Just a second. For the record, you have been read your Miranda rights?"

Martha nods. "Yes. The officers did that at the farmhouse."

"Good. Those rights still apply. Do you want an attorney?"

She shakes her head. "No. I know you and I can get this worked out."

JJ gives a sarcastic smile. "I'm sure we can." She pulls out pictures of the 5 dead women. "Do you know these women?"

Martha nods. "Yes. Bertie kidnapped them. He was a very scary man, Agent Jareau. Very scary. He made me help him keep them until they had their babies. Then he would kill them. I couldn't help them, Agent Jareau. I swear. But I made sure the babies were okay."

"I see. So you are saying you didn't kill these women? Bert did?"

"Yes. You have to believe me!" She shudders, though JJ sees it is forced. "He would do terrible things if I didn't." She looks beyond JJ to the mirror. "He was a terrible man! He would beat me if I disobeyed."

JJ raises her eyes at that. "I see. So you must have some bruises or scars to show us to support that statement?"

Martha's eyes flicker. It takes her a split second to cover that lie. "I'd learned my lesson, Agent Jareau. He hasn't had to beat me in a while."

"I see. Why dump the bodies near churches?"

"I told him to do that. It was…was the only comfort I could offer them once he was finished with them."

"Why freeze them first?"

"That was Bertie's idea. He wanted to mess with the forensic evidence. I thought it was terrible to do to them."

JJ makes a couple notes on her pad. The next questions would be the ones that will either break Martha's façade or solidify it. The agent has to be careful. "Why did you take one child to the hospital?"

"She had turned blue almost as soon as she was born. We made her mother breastfeed to see if it would help. I finally realized that she was sick. Bertie just wanted to drown the baby and get rid of it with the mother. I convinced him to save the baby." She looks at the mirror again. "I swear, I just wanted the babies to be okay. He chose good families for them! I would have never helped him if he hadn't."

On the other side of the glass, Morgan shakes his head. "Who the hell does she think she's fooling?"

Reid shrugs. "Non-profilers and detectives might believe it. I think she's practicing for a jury."

Rossi nods. "Most likely. Still, I have a feeling she has something in store for JJ. I just don't like this."

Hotch remains silent. He agrees with all three agents. And he really hates that he agrees with Rossi.

JJ sits back in her seat. She crosses her arms. "Martha, let's cut the bullshit here. You let me see who you really are and you didn't get a chance to kill me to keep your secret hidden. Even if you had," she gestures with her thumb towards the mirror. "the people over there watching you? They can tell this is an act. They can see the tells you can't control. You're a sociopath who probably saved that child because you knew no jury could look past the death of a child. You also figured it would help you with them; maybe show Joe Public that you are just a victim, too." She leans forward, arms resting on the table. "You may fool Joe Public but you can't fool yourself…or us. So either start telling me the truth or this interview is over."

Everyone sees the mask fall. Martha locks eyes with JJ. The woman can't handle direct confrontation.

"I should have had Bertie blow your head off in the woods, you stupid bitch."

JJ grins. "Yeah, you should have. But you didn't." She taps the photos. "Your only chance to avoid the death penalty is telling us where the children are. That's the only deal the prosecution is offering: the kids for your life."

Martha narrows her eyes. "What do you think I should do?"

JJ raises her eyebrow. "Personally, I think we'll find the kids. I hope you keep your worthless fucking mouth shut so the families get real justice."

"Uh, oh…" Reid mutters.

All the FBI agents see it coming, including JJ. Martha leaps to her feet. JJ leaps up at the same time. She lets Martha drive her into the wall…so she can justify punching the woman. Martha swipes at JJ weakly. JJ follows up her right with a left hook and Martha is out like a light.

Hotch throws open the interrogation room door and stares at the woman on the ground. JJ glares at him.

"You're late, Hotchner."

Hotch grins. "Knew you had it covered, Jareau."

JJ just grunts and steps over the woman, glad the whole thing is on tape. Martha Castle is done.

In the hallway, Morgan grins at her. "Feel good?"

JJ smiles. "You have no idea just how good."

Morgan's laughter follows her to the conference room they had been using. As she starts to gather her paperwork together, she hears her personal cell phone ding. She pulls it out of her briefcase as her teammates walk into the room. She frowns.

"Holy shit," she mutters.

"Jayje? What's wrong?" Reid asks.

JJ hits redial. "I have 6 missed calls from Elizabeth."

The team grows quiet, seeing the fear in JJ's eyes.

"Elizabeth? What's going on?" JJ asks nervously.

They see JJ's face pale. Her legs go out and she drops to the ground. "Emily WHAT?!"

* * *

**A/N: Yes...yes I did just end on that cliffhanger. On the bright side, I'm not going out of town for Thanksgiving and the next story is nearly done. :o)**


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